Shopko Announces New Prototype Store in Council Bluffs

Shopko Announces New Prototype Store in Council Bluffs

GREEN BAY, Wis., March 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Shopko has some groundbreaking news for Council Bluffs. The retail merchandiser is bringing a fifth Shopko store to Iowa as well as a fifth store to the suburban Omaha market. This will be the first Shopko store in Council Bluffs.

This month, Shopko will open the first new store to be built in six years. The new store will be a departure from the look and layout of current Shopko stores. The new store in Council Bluffs will feature Shopko's new prototype design and is the first store announced for 2009.

The Council Bluff prototype incorporates a number of elements that will make customers' shopping experience both stimulating and efficient. The store's color, lighting and features will allow customers to easily see the merchandise. The store layout will feature a pharmacy and optical center at the very front of the store for added convenience. The aisle pattern and signing in the store will make the customer shopping experience very efficient. All parts of the store will allow for navigation by strollers and carts. The 80,000 square foot size of the Council Bluff store makes it large enough to carry our full assortment yet not so big as to overwhelm customers.

"This announcement represents the continuation of an exciting growth phase for Shopko," said Michael R. MacDonald, Shopko Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. In 2008, Shopko will open five new stores in Wisconsin and another in Minnesota. These include three new full-line prototype stores and three Shopko Express stores.

The new Council Bluffs store is part of a 50-acre development that will be co-anchored by J.C. Penney, which includes retailers, restaurants, and banking facilities. Magnum Development of Omaha is leading the project. The store is planned to open in March 2009.

About Shopko

Shopko Stores Operating Co., LLC is an affiliate of Sun Capital Partners, Inc., a leading private investment firm focused on leverage buyouts, equity, debt, and other investments in market-leading companies that can benefit from its in-house operating professionals and experience. Shopko is a $2.2 billion retailer of quality goods and services headquartered in Green Bay, WI, with stores located in 13 states throughout the Midwest, Mountain and Pacific Northwest regions. Retail formats include 132 Shopko stores, providing quality name-brand merchandise, great values, pharmacy and optical services in small to mid-sized cities and three Shopko Express Rx stores, a convenient neighborhood drugstore concept. For more information, please visit http://www.shopko.com/.

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Source: Shopko Stores Operating Co., LLC

CONTACT: Pam Schwanke of Shopko, +1-920-429-4309

Web site: http://www.shopko.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment